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Manjusri in art : painted depictions

Manjusriis a bodhisattva; a yidam in Tibetan Buddhism and associated with prajna. Manjusri means gentle glory, he is considered a youth Manjusrikumarabhuta. He is an important Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. He figures in the Prajnaparamita sutra and symbolises prajna. He is accorded Vimala,his pure land as per the Lotus sutra located in the East. He is a meditational deity and is a fully enlightened Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. He figures in Manjusrimula-kalpa and Manjusrinamasamgiti. His consort is Sarasvati in some traditions.

Manjusri is male and wields a flaming sword in his right hand which is symbolic of cutting down ignorance. In his left hand he holds the Prajnaparamita sutra supported by a lotus symbolising attainment of ultimate realisation from the blossoming of wisdom. In Japanese and Chinese art, his sword is replaced by a ruyi scepter. In China he is called Wenshu and is associated with the mountain Wutai. In Tibet he manifests in many Tantric forms; Yamantaka is popular in Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is called Monju in Japan. In Indonesia he was revered by the Sailendra dynasty,patrons of Mahayana Buddhism, during the 8th century.

The non-tantric forms of Manjusri have one head and two arms.The usual form is white or yellow, seated in dhyanasana, meditative posture with left hand holding a pustaka or book,right hand holds khadga or sword,maybe seated on a lion;sometimes in dhyanasana vitarka mudra, holding stem of lotus with pustaka on the flower,right hand having the khadga.

The dharmachakramanjusri is depicted in dhyanasana , in dharmachakramudra, with stems of lotuses supporting khadga and pustaka. Another form Manughosa is white,seated in dhyanasana,vitarka and varada mudras, holding lotus stems with pustaka and khadga at shoulder level. The other forms include maharajalilamanjusri , Dharmasankhasamadhimanjusri. The tantric forms have one head and more than two arms or more than one head and two or more arms. Manjuvajra is also a tantric form having three heads ,six arms. Yamanataka rhas nine heads,34 arms,16 legs and is fierce from to conquer Yama, the God of death.

For your information, in Vietnam, Japan, China and Korea, Manjusri is also known as a God of Cat Zodiac. For example, Manjusri is a God Guard of people who born in 1987 (which is known as Cat zodiac).
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